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It was Halloween, or, as Daphne had called it, All Hallows' Eve… and while that might not mean as much to him as it once had considering he was out of Hogwarts, there was still that fun that remained on any holiday. He'd already gone along and passed out candy throughout the Ministry as a little fun gift, especially for those with kids — he'd encouraged costumes too, if anybody had wanted to wear something. The latter suggestion hadn't seemed very popular, but Harry was pleased enough with the general, happy aura the Ministry now radiated.
He yawned and set down the stack of parchment, free from his thoughts as he blinked himself back to awareness. With a glance, he saw the few people milling about his office and no small amount of candy wrappers atop desks; that made him snicker to himself.
His work was, by and large, completed for the day and he didn't see any reason not to head home, to his wife.
Harry rose from his seat, took one last lingering glance around his office after locking it up, and then he popped in the Floo, his mind already on home.
When he appeared in the parlour room of his and Daphne's home, he was greeted by the decorations Kreacher had — on Daphne's orders — put up throughout the place. The colours of Autumn were especially prevalent, with things woven from bright, multi-coloured leaves strung all about and jack o'lanterns spread throughout the place with that orange glow they gave off replacing that of the torches. It almost felt as Hogwarts' Great Hall had during the feasts every year.
He liked it.
Harry kicked off his shoes and shrugged off the suit jacket he oft wore for the sake of professionalism. Once he was less dressed, he stretched and summoned Kreacher, who appeared before a second had passed from the calling of his name.
"Daphne?" Harry simply asked as his hands undid his tie.
Kreacher chuckled, the sound as deep and scratchy as his voice, and then he produced a letter for Harry. Written across the envelope was Daphne's beautiful cursive, a sprawl so beautiful he regretted ripping the envelope open the moment he did so.
'Harry,
This was just a distraction.'
And no sooner than when he read the final word, did a weight suddenly manifest itself across his back. It wasn't especially heavy, but it shocked him enough that he made to twist and grab at it, and from there, he and his assailant fell to the ground; the former with a sinister sounding set of giggles.
"You worked late," Daphne huffed from her spot astride him as she sat up and pulled at the strap of her… costume? When she caught him looking, she arched a brow, and somehow, despite her dress and clumsiness, it still was so severe a look he could nought but blink at her.
Eventually, a few seconds really, he regained his composure as his hands came to settle on her thighs. She wore a garter below the rather ornate, expensive-looking dress she'd put on — one that seemed extremely expensive and exaggerated, just as the excessive jewellery did.
"Are you wearing a crown?" he wasn't bothered with where he found himself any longer.
Daphne adjusted that too, and then she smiled down at him; it was with that same look of innocence that she'd first enthralled him back in Hogwarts.
"I went as my Hogwarts nickname."
It took Harry a moment… or maybe three or thereabouts, but then he understood what she meant. Much of the jewellery she wore was silver with bluish stones, be they diamonds or sapphires or whatever else, in-laid. Aside from that and the matching crown, her gown was also of a blue colour with a white trim and a text he couldn't read forming said trim.
Ice Queen might have been an insult, but she pulled off royalty very well.
"Oh," Harry said, more so to himself when she finally made to stand. "A matching garter belt too. Merlin, grant me strength."
Daphne slapped his chest as a slight pinkish hue grew on her face. "Looking up a Queen's skirt, are we?" she folded her arms and gave him that serious, political look she could wear when needed… but his eyes were southwards, on the show she'd given him in doing so.
The outfit she'd put on had certainly attracted his attention. Really, she'd been married to him for over a year, they'd been with one another since before that too, but he doubted he'd ever get tired of her beauty.
She could've gone as a Veela with just a few of those charms she knows.
Harry got up after her with a grin. "Maybe for a second or so," he looked around the place properly this time around. "You and Kreacher did well while I was gone. I can hardly recognise the place."
Daphne smiled and slid her arm through his, a favourite thing to do of hers. "I made a little game for you as well, if you'd like to hear it."
"Please."
She smiled, and with her free arm, gestured around the grand parlour room of their manor. "I've hidden something in here. There might be little games you have to do to find it, but only one matters. Find the item before midnight falls and I'll give you a gift."
"You do—"
Daphne tutted and ran that free hand down his cheek, until she silenced him and spoke again herself. "Whatever I do for you, I do so because I desire to do so," she stood up, and withdrew her hand as she kissed either side of his mouth; she pulled back then, as he made to kiss her properly. "Time's ticking by," she giggled when his hands held her hips to prevent her from going anywhere.
"Tax," he said, the one word the only thing said aloud before he moved in and kissed her fully, none of her inner temptress preventing him from doing so, this go around.
After a short — five second — snog, he withdrew and turned his eyes, once more, over the entirety of their parlour room. It was no small space, and in it there were many a good place one could hide something. He'd have to focus on anything obvious, but that proved itself an issue when nothing was over the top.
His snake had been a Slytherin, after all. He'd almost be disappointed if he found it so early on.
Daphne, for her part, had gone to sit primly with her hands folded in her lap on the couch near to him. "You could try the little study space in the far corner first."
Harry was very tempted to do just that, but he shook his head. It wouldn't be that easy.
"You know," he said as he took a step closer to her. "We've been together a very long time, Daph."
"We have."
"I know you."
"You do."
He walked over to, and the closer he got, the higher she had to incline her head so as to meet his eyes. It took him but a second, but after peering into her blue eyes that nearly matched the jewellery that swung from around her neck, he could see the life, the happiness, the fun that she was having with him.
Harry couldn't help himself. As he'd done before, he stole a kiss from her… and then another, and a third, and on and on it went until eventually, she was pushing him away with a giggle.
"Go on," she said to him between breaths and a throaty laughter, one that enticed him all the more. "Find it quickly, or a Queen might steal you away."
Harry reluctantly pulled away, and after doing so, he moved around the parlour room at speed. He was looking for whatever the item in question might be, glancing over the bookcases that were scattered throughout the space, the cabinets, the furniture, the chandeliers even; no stone was left untouched, and as for the games, there'd been a few.
One had required that he carve a pumpkin and charm it so that it bounced and kept the fire inside alive. Another required that he transfigure bats from paper, and let them fly throughout the house — there was something already done that he'd note noticed, a charm of sorts on the paper that certainly belonged to Daphne. There were others too, but those were the most memorable to him.
Finally, with narrowed eyes, Harry turned back to where Daphne was seated with a look of feigned disinterest on her face. He'd gone through just about the entirety of the parlour room, and after all the games he'd played, there'd been nothing.
"Hand it over," he said with his hand held out.
She arched a brow as she'd done before. "Hand over what?" her eyes flashed, a playfulness rising in them. "If I had it on me, you can't really think I'd just hand it over."
Harry snickered, and so, with all the ease in the world, he reached down and picked her up. In an instant, Daphne's legs wrapped around his waist and her arms, around his neck; the sole squeak she let out when he made to pick her up was the only show of surprise that she made.
"I hope you know this is entirely improper," she said in a faux voice of arrogance, her eyes staring into his own.
He was just about to respond when he spotted something on the couch, behind where she'd been seated. It was a little lever of sorts, with no small amount of runes seemingly etched into it and radiating life with their glow.
"What's that?" he asked, nodding towards the object.
Daphne huffed. "You weren't supposed to pick me up so early," she prodded him in the chest in protest.
Harry snickered to himself, a wide grin forming on his face as she incessantly poked him. "Sorry, Daph," he said. "I know our little game too well for that to work."
She narrowed her eyes at him in challenge, but when he didn't budge, she pouted at him. "Claim your prize," she goaded him as her legs fell to the floor, making light contact with the ground below.
Harry was a touch curious as to what it was, in truth, and so after setting her down carefully, he turned to look at the item in question. It really was but a lever and runes carved into it, the latter of which were glowing very bright, and when he focused on the little item, it reeked of magic; he hadn't a clue as to what it did, but all the same, intrusive thoughts won out.
He pulled it, and then he turned around to look at Daphne so as to ask what it was that he did… and then he had to blink at her… and blink some more for good measure.
Daphne had, somehow, tied her outfit to the lever in question, and where once was an 'Ice Queen' fit with blue jewellery and a lofty, ornate and trimmed gown, was a creature of mythology; her gown was black and red, and far shorter, the jewellery had changed itself too, the silver metal now darker and the blue, now red; the greatest change of all was the pair of horns sticking out from her head and the little tail that swayed behind her.
"Another costume?"
Harry wanted to ask more, but he found it hard to speak, incredibly hard to speak; it almost seemed as if the very air of the room was heavier and thicker, and Merlin, was it hard to think now. When Daphne drew closer, he felt that tail of hers wrap around his leg as her arms did much the same around his torso.
From there, she peered up into his eyes with her own. Hers were still blue, but they had a serpent's quality to them, and Harry could but swallow when he saw just how lurid they now were.
"Daph?" He managed to get out.
"Harry?" she asked teasingly back to him as her tail stroked his thigh and her arms kneaded his back.
He wanted to speak, but she moved in and stole a kiss, her lips moving feverishly against his own as her hands came back around to ball up the front of his shirt. There was a level of urgency this time, he could feel it from her as she pulled his shirt open, the buttons thereof ripping off and flying all about the space — she didn't seem to notice, or she didn't care. Instead, she continued kissing him as his shredded shirt fell to the ground.
Only when he was all but begging for breath did she pull back to gasp for air much like how he did, and those eyes of hers fell on his again. There was a level of passion burning in them that was always present, but now, despite the transfiguration and the lust that dominated the pair, he saw a new depth to her love.
"Daph?"
She cocked her head at him, her little red-hued tailing waving back and forth, almost impatiently. When words failed to manifest after a few seconds, she held aloft her arms.
"Your gift's waiting."
He didn't make her wait any longer.